A Cold and Broken Hallelujah
by Kitsune-heichou
Summary: The Titans are finally eradicated and Levi, Eren, and the rest of the Survey Corps are finally free to live their lives and explore the outside world... After they deal with the issue of Eren being a Titan shifter. Rated M for sex and violence to come in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

Just very quickly, I'd like to thank you all for reading and ask that you bear with me if I'm slow to update. Hopefully I can churn this out quickly, as it shouldn't be too long of a story, but we'll see!

I hope you enjoy.

-Fox

* * *

"Oi, Levi! Come drink with us!" I had hardly entered the small bar before Hanji's arm was being flung around me, knocking me slightly forward with the surprise force. She beamed and offered me some sort of alcoholic beverage, "Don't worry, I got you a tall glass of _Jaeger_."

"Tch" I clicked disapprovingly at her, though I did accept the glass. "Didn't need you to get me one, four-eyes. I already have an unlimited supply, right, Eren?"

Eren, who had entered right behind me, chuckled and grinned cockily, taking me back from Hanji's grip, "Of course, Corporal." His lips danced mere centimeters from mine, our warm breath intermixing, the familiar scents of sweat and sunlight filling my nostrils with a fragrance I only know as 'Eren'. I felt a smirk playing at those lovely pink lips, a feeling his gorgeous amber eyes confirmed, a playful light dancing in them as they gazed into my own before fluttering closed as he leaned in to close the distance between us.

I darted out of the way just before his lips met mine, though, which sent the tall brunette stumbling a bit, all the confidence suddenly replaced with shock. I smirked, "I don't kiss shitty overconfident brats." Eren laughed, a warm sound, one of my favorites in the world, and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.

"Sorry, Levi. I'm just so happy. I love you."

"I love you too, Jaeger." I answered, placing a chaste kiss on my young lover's lips. Eren relaxed visibly, a smile as bright as the sun taking over his tanned face. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud, deep voice.

"Jaeger, think you can peel yourself away from your boyfriend long enough to celebrate with us?" We turned toward the sound to find Jean had approached, with the rest of Eren's graduating regiment close behind him. Armin beamed and waved gleefully at the two of us. He'd always been a stalwart supporter of my relationship with Eren, explaining that 'anyone who made Eren smile like that was more than okay in his book'. Mikasa, who glowered venomously at me from just behind Armin, was much less supportive, but still agreed that Eren was very happy with me, and so permitted our relationship for now. The rest of the kids were more or less accepting, not that it had particularly mattered. With Eren's single-minded determinism and my hard-headed stubbornness, there was very little any of them could have done to stop our relationship.

Eren tried to stammer out a reason why he couldn't, surprised by his friends' sudden appearance, but I stopped him, "Go. I should share a few drinks with Hanji and Erwin anyway. We'll have plenty of time to celebrate together after the party." Connie and Sasha gave whistles of approval at that, and Eren blushed deeply, though he looked very happy at the prospect of a later celebration.

"If you're sure, Corporal. Please try not to have too much fun without me." He kissed me one more time before joining the kids, who were now ruthlessly teasing him, carefree smiles on every face.

Hanji replaced her arm across my shoulders, "I've never seen either of you look so at peace, Levi. It must feel good after all these years, to not have a fear of tomorrow looming over your head."

"It wasn't just us with a 'fear of tomorrow', Hanji." I retorted, "The Titans left everyone with that feeling."

She shrugged, "It's not the same, and you know it. You and Eren-Humanity's Strongest and Humanity's Hope-you two carried weights none of us here can imagine. Our 'fear of tomorrow' was only for ourselves and our close friends. Yours was for all of humanity." I took a sip of my jaeger and mused over this concept. I found it hard to conceive a universe in which my fear was only for the safety of my dearest friends. Every life taken by the titans was a painful loss, though of course those of my close friends had hit harder, I had mourned them all in some way. To think of not carrying the burden of so many lives, I couldn't wrap my head around it. And yet, I realized, that was my new reality. There were no more man-eating beasts looming over the horizon. Humanity was free from the confinement of the walls. I could put up my swords and finally stop fighting. All I had to worry about was myself and Eren. The rest of the world be damned, because they were finally free from the threat he and I had sworn to vanquish. Our job was done, and though I was infinitely happy about that idea, I felt strangely hollow, as if I didn't know what to do with myself without two swords in my hands and the wings of freedom on my back.

Hanji, as if reading my mind, chattered on, "What will you do with yourself, eh? Peaceful times don't suit warrior types like you." She started leading me to a booth in the back corner of the venue, where I saw Erwin waiting patiently, greeting me with a wide smile as we approached. "Though, maybe you'll surprise us all and turn into a pretty little housewife. Levi Jaeger, humanity's best wife." She grinned mischievously at me and I was about to scoff at the notion when Erwin interrupted.

"He'd make a good one, huh? Already an expert at cleaning and cooking. Eren is a lucky man. Though you could do with an attitude adjustment." He taunted, looking at me out of the corners of his eyes, his amusement clear to see.

I humored him a bit, "Oh, really, Erwin? Not sexy enough for you?" He chuckled and began to speak, but I snapped a kick into his chest before he could manage it. "Good thing I've no interest in seducing you." I glowered as Erwin laughed, massaging his chest.

"I'm glad you made it through safe, Corporal Levi."

"...Same to you, Commander."

He smiled, sadder this time, and gestured for Hanji and I to sit down, "We need to talk business. Loose ends and whatnot." Hanji and I looked at each other in confusion and sat down across from Erwin. He continued, "So, I've filed my last report. The one containing the fact that all titans have been eliminated, which is true. However, I think it unlikely that they'll forget about titan shifters." Despair coiled in my stomach, gnawing at my insides. I saw where this was going. Hanji noticed my distress and placed a hand on my shoulder as I gripped my glass tighter. "...I think we should all prepare ourselves for the reality that they might demand Eren's death." My glass shattered in my grip, alcohol and glass tumbling off my skin, but I barely noticed. My mind was consumed with panicked despair. I would not lose Eren. I had already given everything I had to humanity. They had no right to take him. No fucking right. He was mine, and I would protect him until the end of the world. I would gladly murder the entire council if it meant I would never have to give him up. My body was numb, hysteria setting itself upon my entire being. I only barely registered Hanji's arms around me, her hand running through my hair, whispering gentle words to try and calm me. Luckily, Eren had been distracted by his friends, but a quick glance toward Mikasa was all I needed to confirm my suspicions that they were very well aware something was wrong and needed me to get my shit together before Eren noticed.

With a shaky breath, I regained my composure, trying to shove the hysterical beast inside me back. I apologized to the waiter for the broken glass, but he waved it off and gave me a new drink, which I made sure not to touch for the moment being. Erwin continued, in an even kinder tone than before, clearly worried for me, "Of course, I don't plan on letting that happen. I will do everything in my power to get Eren off the hook, I swear, Levi. But if I should fail, I hereby give you authority to run away with him. No one in the Survey Corps will stop you, I'll see to it personally. You two deserve happiness after these long years of hell, after all."

I chuckled darkly, despair still swimming in my stomach, strangling me with venomous tendrils of fear and hatred, "D'ya really think Eren would go for something like that?" Erwin looked at me, confused, and I elaborated, "Eren would never run away from his duty, even if it was death. Our only hope of keeping him alive is convincing the council not to execute him."

"Then we won't fail," Hanji vowed, her voice shaky. I knew Hanji adored Eren, not only as her favorite test subject, but as a precious friend. The idea of losing him was surely almost as terrifying to her as it was to me. Erwin nodded, a fierce look in his blue eyes. And I found the despair uncoiling, releasing my throat from its choking grasp. If there were any people I could trust in this fucked up world to fight beside me, they were right here. I could hope, and trust in my friends, even if just a little, and that was enough to set the monster at bay.

The conversation turned to happier things as the night progressed. I had promised not to drink too much, since I wanted to be more or less sober to celebrate with the underage Eren, but I still enjoyed two glasses of jaeger with Erwin and Hanji, who at some point in the night had become embarrassingly drunk and began acting out Titan battles.

I'd honestly stopped paying attention after the third or fourth bout, instead opting to watch Eren and his friends from across the venue. It seemed that Jean had gotten a big head and tried to win over the heart of the impassive Ms. Ackerman by challenging Eren to a fight in hand-to-hand combat.

I chuckled to myself as I saw Eren run his fingers through his hair with a cocky smile, no doubt making sure Jean knew exactly who he was challenging. Eren had always been one of the best at hand-to-hand combat, even giving Erwin and I trouble in sparring sessions. While Jean was bigger, and had a bit more raw power because of it, he was no match for Eren's skill.

But the other teen didn't seem to realize that as he dropped into a fighting stance, waiting only a split second before sending a powerful punch straight for Eren's face. Unfortunately for the blonde, Eren had been expecting that, and caught the fist with ease before retaliating with a swift blow to the stomach. Jean only landed two blows their entire fight, one because Eren had allowed it in order to throw the other boy off long enough to land a stronger attack, and the other due to something he'd said that caused my lover to look back at me for a second. However, it was no question who the victor was when Eren pinned Jean down firmly for the third time in as many minutes, barely panting, as the horse-faced boy below him gasped for breath.

I saw Jean's lips move angrily and Eren laughed, jumping off the other boy and offering a hand to help him up, which was graciously accepted. Both boys seemed satisfied with the fight, and smiled warmly at each other, though Jean was clearly dismayed to find that Mikasa had lost interest and started talking to Sasha almost as soon as the fight started. Eren turned back and met my eyes, waving excitedly and giving me the 'victory' sign. Trying not to act too impressed with him, I merely nodded and gave a thumbs-up, which was all the praise the eighteen-year-old needed to blush furiously and turn away with happy embarrassment.

So the night progressed, occasional fights breaking out, couples trying to woo each other with varying degrees of success, usual party antics, until Erwin drunkenly commented, "Oi wha d'ya think Eren and L-Levi are like in bed?"

Hanji's response was just as drunken, but a lot louder, in a slightly deeper than usual voice, "Oh _oh Eren_ ~ You feel soooooooo good~!" and the entire bar fell quiet for a few seconds before erupting into laughter. I had caught sight of Eren from across the bar and he was chuckling too, an amused glint in his eyes.

Erwin began to open his mouth, presumably to imitate his idea of Eren, but I snapped a sharp, but relatively light kick to his leg and scolded him, "Filth shouldn't try to be perfection," which earned a booming laugh from the burly blonde.

"Ah only a few hours after we complete our mission and I'm already being subjected to insubordination. How cruel, Levi! After all I've done for you!" He began to cry obvious crocodile tears, still laughing despite trying to cover it up with watering puppy dog eyes.

I raised a sharp eyebrow and scowled, "Fucking drunkard. I'm heading out. Enjoy the rest of the night." I didn't even need to signal Eren, since as soon as I had emerged from the booth the three of us had been sharing, the titan-shifter was at my side, offering me a calloused hand, which I took gratefully, entwining my fingers with his.

Eren smiled gently at me and kissed me, whispering against my lips, "I missed you, Corporal." I rolled my eyes but smiled fondly at the teenager, turning to leave, but Eren had turned the other way, toward Hanji, and beamed, "Oh, but Ms. Hanji, it was a good try, but I think you should work on your imitation of Corporal. Your moans were too loud and not quite lusty enough." Laughter erupted across the bar yet again and I lightly punched Eren in the arm, trying to scowl despite being highly amused, but he saw right through me and gave me another dazzling smile. Damn. How could this kid be so perfect? I gripped his hand tighter and smiled as we walked out of the building into the crisp night air.

I would not let them take him from me. No matter what.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Whoa okay sorry for the lateness on this one. Honestly, I procrastinated because I didn't know how to write the sex scene (;ﾞ°´ω°´). But, all is well, I have finished this chapter and we'll be having some rapid-fire updates (hopefully), since I have the next two chapters partially written already.

Thank you everyone for your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

-Fox

Eren and I walked back to the castle together, fingers intertwined, as Eren chatted idly to me about his friends' antics that night. Apparently, Connie had finally confessed to Sasha only to realize that she had been too busy stuffing her face to hear him. Mikasa had given Eren 'the talk' for about the billionth time since she realized he and I were dating. Jean had accidentally asked Armin out on a date, but both seemed alright with the idea, so they were trying it out. I didn't speak much but to encourage Eren to keep talking. I simply loved listening to that warm voice. So, I hadn't really paying attention to the contents of his words when he purred in my ear, "...love that, wouldn't you, Corporal?" in that sultry way he had when trying to seduce me.

I started a bit in surprise at the sudden change of tone but quickly recovered, smirking back at Eren, "Hmmm would I?" It didn't matter what Eren had said, I knew whatever my young lover had come up with would be wonderful. We'd been together for long enough to know what each other liked and how far we could go with each other.

He purred, "Would you like to try?" His amber eyes glinted with mischief and lust.

"Why not?" I replied, keeping up the charade that I'd actually heard him.

He smirked, "Then strip." I stared at him in mildly horrified shock. What exactly hadn't I heard? He laughed at my expression, "I knew you weren't really listening, Corporal. You're so cute."

"Don't tease me, you shitty brat." I growled,a blush rising to my cheeks. I was thankful for the darkness of night so Eren wouldn't notice it as I tried to act annoyed with him.

Eren kissed my cheek lightly, "You really are too cute, Corporal. Please marry me." I scowled and shoved him away with a grunt. My young lover had asked me that same question jokingly countless times before, to the point where it was more a mantra than a question. The young man laughed and took my hand again, holding it tightly as we made our way back to the castle in silence.

When we finally entered our base, Eren wasted no time in pouncing on me, pinning me to the wall as soon as the heavy wooden door had shut behind us, his lips scouring my neck, peppering me with kisses and bites, licking along the way. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my throat, "Eren! Fuck." He only hummed in response and I hissed, "At least take me to the bedroom, they'll be coming back, dumbass."

"Let them." Eren declared, lifting his head so his eyes met mine, his pupils blown wide with lust, "I can't wait, Corporal. I want you now." His lips captured mine in a searing kiss, his hands tangling in my hair, pulling softly in the way he knew I loved. As tempting as it was to stay there and let everyone, including the over-protective Mikasa, walk in to find Eren balls-deep inside me, the wrath of said woman was too terrifying to risk.

I pushed the boy off me and purred, "I'm not keen on sharing you, Jaeger. And I intend on making you fuck me all night long." Eren looked surprised at the statement and I leaned back in to lick his ear and whisper seductively, "After all, we are _celebrating_ , right?"

He moaned and scooped me up in his arms, bridal-style, "It's unkind to seduce me like that, Corporal. Especially since you won't let me rip your clothes off and devour you right here."

"That implies I'm kind at all, Jaeger." I chuckled, suckling on his neck, leaving marks up and down the soft, tanned skin.

Eren chuckled at that, practically ripping open the door to our quarters, formerly mine, but since we'd become an official couple, Eren had moved in permanently. He threw me unceremoniously onto the bed, hardly giving me time to recover before he was on top of me, growling gently in my ear as he palmed me through my pants, "I don't know, Corporal, it's awfully kind of you to allow me to have my way with you."

I groaned, pressing my hips into the rough hand, "Who said I was letting you have your way with me, brat?" I flipped us over so I was on top of my young lover, grinding my arousal into him, making him moan, "I'm in charge, you little shit."

Eren's eyes fluttered closed in ecstasy as I ground myself into him, soft groans of pleasure escaping his lips, "C-Corporal!" I only smiled in response, stopping the movement of my hips. Instead, I opted for sliding my calloused fingers down his sides until I reached the hem of his shirt, teasingly playing with the flesh just underneath. Eren hissed, "Corporal _please_!" His hips arched back into mine, our clothed erections grinding together once again, making me moan in response.

"Fine. So impatient. You know you do have me all night, right?" I began to slide his shirt off, a small smirk playing at my lips as I did so. Honestly, I was as eager as my beloved to start, but it was too fun to tease him.

As I pulled his shirt off, Eren pulled me back down so that our breath intermixed and gasped, "Of course I know, Corporal. And I intend to make good on every second of that promise." His lips crashed against mine, tongues battling sloppily. Eren's fingers were everywhere, caressing every inch of my body, leaving trails of incredible, burning heat that had me moaning into his mouth wantonly in seconds, despite still being fully clothed.

I practically ripped my own shirt off in a lull between our fevered kisses before I crashed back to him. I craved every second of contact more than I had in what seemed like an eternity. The coil of despair that I'd never get a chance like this again and the desperate hope that this would be my daily life had spawned this carnal, insatiable need to be with Eren. Though I knew he didn't know what I knew, my young lover seemed to have the same endless need for me, neither of us willing to part from the other for more than a few breathless seconds to remove more clothing until we were both nude, me writhing atop Eren. The titan-shifter's voice escaped his lips in rough gasps and moans as I ground myself into him, lapping at his neck as I did so. I grabbed my lover's hand, taking three fingers into my mouth, swirling my tongue skillfully around the digits.

Eren chuckled, "So eager, Levi… You're so gorgeous." In response, I caressed his member, my fingertips dancing over the sensitive skin. He threw his head back in pleasure and moaned, "Shit… So lewd and amazing, too, how could I forget?"

I released his fingers from my mouth with a wet pop and growled, "Oh, shut up and put those damned fingers to good use, brat."

Eren laughed as he pulled me closer, his breath ghosting over my collarbone, "Ah, but Corporal, don't you love it when I tell you all the naughty things I want to do to you?" He swirled a warm finger against my entrance and I hissed with desire. I both hated and loved it when Eren teased me like this. He nibbled on my ear and inserted a single finger before breathing in my ear, "I want to put my dick inside you, Corporal. I want to pound into this gorgeous ass until you can't say anything except my name." I moaned and he inserted another finger. "I want to make you scream so loud the entire castle hears, and everyone knows exactly what we're doing." He inserted a third finger, curling them up and pressing against my prostate with practiced accuracy. I couldn't help but scream in ecstasy and try desperately to move my hips for more. Eren laughed at that, kissing me deeply, his tongue scouring my mouth, moans from us both spilling into each other. Fuck, I needed this kid now.

I broke the kiss and moved my head down to the crook of his neck where I whispered against his heated skin, "I'm going to ride you, Jaeger. You ready?"

He smirked and grabbed my ass, squeezing roughly, "I was born ready, Corporal."

I couldn't help but scoff at that and leered into his ear, "Are you sure, you little shit?"

Before he could respond, I impaled myself on his cock, forcing screams of pleasure out of us both, me clawing at his shoulders, the boy under me grabbing wildly at the sheets. I hadn't quite been ready for such a move, but the burning was a small price to pay for seeing my beloved writhing in pleasure underneath me. Unable to speak, Eren's eyes met mine, pupils blown wide with lust and pleasure and I smiled in response, kissing him gently, "I love you, too, Eren."

He smiled back and I immediately set upon riding the young man beneath me, moving my hips in practiced rhythm, every stroke hitting my prostate dead-on. In moments, we were both moaning desperately, Eren thrusting roughly to meet my hips, his fingers tugging at my cock. I pulled at his hair and peppered him with kisses and bites, panting into his ear every obscenity in the book. Words had no more meaning in this level of bliss but I still begged for 'more, harder, faster, oh _fuck Eren_ ' until Eren gasped into my ear, "Cum with me, Levi." And I obeyed, spilling my seed all over our chests as I felt Eren's warmth seeping into my ass, both of us howling the other's name.

In the haze and exhaustion of our orgasms, Eren held me tightly to his chest and laughed, "I bet that got _someone's_ attention, huh, Corporal?"

I grinned, "Undoubtedly." I settled into the warmth of my boyfriend and reveled in the comfort that came from his hand massaging my scalp, currently content to just rest beside the man I loved. After a moment, I asked him, "So, Eren, why do you still call me 'Corporal'? I mean, not only have we been on a first-name basis for years, but now that the war is over, there won't be much use for military factions, so I probably won't be a Corporal soon."

He smiled and replied, "Ah, well, it still feels weird to call you 'Levi'. I've always known you as 'Corporal', ever since I was nine years old. I'll work on getting used to addressing you by your name if you'd like, though."

"Please do." And we stayed like that, curled up into each other for about twenty minutes.

It was time for round two.

"Oi, Eren! Get out of bed, you lazy brat, we'll be late for breakfast!" I called, throwing a pillow at my young lover's head. I was already dressed and washed up, ready to go despite barely having gotten any sleep due to our relentless love making. At least there were some upsides to my chronic insomnia. The titan-shifter, still asleep in our bed, was not so fortunate, and had passed out shortly after the fifth or sixth round a few hours prior.

He groaned in response, "But Leviiiiiii…" He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he slowly revealed his bare torso from under the covers.

I climbed back into the bed, straddling Eren's lap and draped my arms casually around his neck, letting the other wrap his arms around my waist, "But nothing, Jaeger. You chose to fuck me all night instead of sleeping." I kissed his forehead, smiling teasingly at him.

"And I don't regret it for a second." He answered, kissing me chastely on the lips. I rolled my eyes at him and he laughed, "Good morning, Cor- Levi."

"...Good morning, Eren."

I climbed off Eren and waited at the door for him as he stumbled around the room sleepily, pulling on the same shirt and pants he'd worn last night, since they were still strewn on the floor around our bed. "Can't bother to find clean clothes?" I demanded.

"Corporal, that's way too much to ask so early in the morning." He laughed, looping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder, "Besides, we're just going to breakfast. I'll get dressed properly later, I promise."

"Fine, fine. Let's just go." I replied. I was surprisingly hungry, but mostly I wanted to see Erwin and find out if he'd heard anything else from the higher ups. I grabbed Eren's hand and we walked down to the dining hall together like that, the younger with a ridiculously wide smile on his tanned face.

When we entered the room, we were immediately greeted with a chorus of wolf whistles and teasing laughter from the rest of my squad, who were already assembled around the table. Erwin was the first to greet us, "Good morning, lovebirds. Late night?" His smirk would have been infuriating if I hadn't been so happy to have Eren by my side. So, I was content to just flip him off, which earned me a hearty laugh from both Eren and Erwin. The blonde turned to Eren and smiled, "Mr. Jaeger, would it be alright if I borrow Levi for a little while?"

Eren looked surprised but nodded hurriedly, "Of course, Commander Erwin." He turned back to me and kissed my forehead, "I'll go eat with my friends. Please find me later, Levi."

I smiled, though I felt sick with fear of what Erwin could need me for, "Yeah. I'll meet up with you soon." He saluted the two of us before running off to be embraced and teased by his friends.

I hadn't realized I'd been watching him until Erwin murmured, "You really love him, don't you? I haven't seen you look at anyone so fondly in years."

I nodded curtly, "If we can't save him, I'm killing myself."

"Levi…"

"Don't you fucking dare try to talk me out of it. He's all I have left in this godforsaken world. If he's not in it… There's no reason for me to be, either." I turned to face my friend, "There would be no more titans. You don't need me to rebuild. I'm not made for politics. I don't want to see the world without him. There's nothing left for me to live for without Eren."

Erwin hesitated, but nodded, "Then we'll do everything in our power to make sure we save him." He led me over to a table where Hanji was waiting. I clapped her on the shoulder in greeting, and she smiled back as Erwin commented, "Actually, you might be able to use that at his trial. The council might be scared enough about losing you to spare him…"

"So they have called a trial?" I asked, sipping at my tea.

"Yes. It's scheduled to begin in three days. Obviously, I haven't told Eren yet, I wanted to discuss the plan with you beforehand."

I nodded, trying to beat down the terror building in my gut, "So what is it?"

Erwin took a deep breath and pulled out a thick folder, pulling out papers relating to the trial as he spoke, "The official case is being called 'The People v. Eren Jaeger', though due to the Survey Corps' overwhelming objections to his execution, the citizens have nicknamed it 'The Final Flight'." I couldn't help but laugh at that, and Hanji and Erwin smiled with me before Erwin continued, "The opposition is numerous, but objectively worthless. Nothing but fearmongers and idiots with no real evidence. On our side, over fifty Survey Corps soldiers have come forward offering to defend Jaeger, which will certainly help our case. However, fear is serious in these times. No one wants to return to our lives being governed by the titans. The opposition will be hard to overcome, just because they have emotion on their side."

I took a deep breath to calm myself. It was great that we had so many soldiers on our side, but Erwin was right. Fear was a powerful weapon. It would be incredibly hard to combat such a strong point, even with facts and reason. Erwin explained, "But we have our trump cards: Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, and the two of you. Normal soldiers won't mean much against the people, but you four are different, important figures of hope. People believe in you. So, I humbly beg that the two of you speak for Mr. Jaeger at his trial. I'll be asking Mikasa and Armin in just a moment, but while the two of you are here…"

"Why the fuck are you asking? Was there ever any question that I would be speaking for him?" I growled at him.

Hanji agreed, "Honestly, Erwin. You're delusional if you think there's any doubt that the four of us would do anything for that kid."

Erwin laughed, "I just need concrete agreement from you all before I can put you on the list of witnesses. Politics, you know." I rolled my eyes but nodded. I understood. I was just glad to officially be part of the trial. Erwin shouted across the dining hall to Eren, "Excuse me, Mr. Jaeger? Can you, Miss Ackerman, and Mr. Arlert come sit with us a while?"

The three stood up immediately, Eren rushing over to join me, taking his place next to me and Hanji, while Mikasa and Armin took seats next to Erwin. Mikasa asked, "You needed us, Commander?"

He nodded, "Yes. Thank you for joining us." And so he explained to the three of them about Eren's trial and what was at stake. Mikasa kept glancing back over at me through the whole explanation, realizing that this was what had upset me so much the previous night. Her own face was white as a sheet, fingers clutching the table so tight, I was sure she would crack the wood. Armin was more reserved with his panic, trying to hide it behind positivity and hopefulness, but I could tell in the shake of his smile that he wasn't confident, either.

Then there was Eren. He didn't say a word the entire time, but gripped my hand tightly, eyes never leaving Erwin. If I hadn't known him so well, I would have thought he was taking the news rather well, but I did know him. I knew the tightness in his jaw, and the dullness in his normally bright gold eyes. He was terrified. I did all I could, pressing my face into the crook of his neck, rubbing circles into the back of his hand, pressing feather-light kisses into his skin, but I knew it wouldn't help. He was faced with the same terror that was eating me alive: The fear of losing everything.

Armin and Mikasa, of course, agreed without hesitation to defend Eren at his trial. Erwin smiled somberly and said, "Thank you all. With everyone's testimony we might just get through this with no more casualties." He addressed Eren, "Do you have any questions, Mr. Jaeger?"

Eren shook his head but turned to me, "I have a question for you, Corporal." I nodded and gestured him to speak it. He nodded, closing his eyes, and whispered, "What… What if this doesn't work? What if I'm sentenced to execution?" Tears overflowed out of his eyes, rolling down his cheeks in salty streams.

I hesitated, wiping away the tears tenderly, running my fingers through his hair, "I will kill you, Eren. No one else will touch you." Eren nodded, smiling a little, and I continued, "After that, I'll kill myself."

The boy in my arms abruptly stopped crying and met my eyes, anger shining bright in the normally loving gaze I was affixed with. "What?" He hissed, "No. Levi, I won't have you die just because I do. You deserve better. You don't have to, you can see the world!"

"Don't you understand, idiot?" I shouted, "I don't want life if it's not with you. You are all I have left, alright? Seeing the world would be bitter without you there beside me. I'm no good at anything except fighting. I have no fucking reason to be here if you're not here. So let me leave with you."

Eren fell silent again and buried his head in his hands, "I… I just want you to be happy."

I wrapped my arms around him tightly and whispered, "Then live, my love. That's all I need in the world."

He nodded sadly and breathed, "Can I… Can I go for a walk alone?"

Erwin answered, "Of course, thank you for your time, Mr. Jaeger. And please know that we're doing everything we can to keep you alive."

Eren nodded again and kissed my forehead tenderly before leaving the dining hall. As the door shut, the room erupted into frantic whispers. Disgusted with the propensity to gossip, I was about to leave as well when Mikasa caught my arm, "Corporal, may I talk to you privately?"

Though I really wasn't in the mood to talk to her, I shrugged, "Sure, Ackerman. Let's talk in my office." She saluted in response and we left, not speaking until we had settled into my office.

"You don't believe we can save Eren." She declared, "That's why you have a plan for his execution."

I hesitated but agreed, "That's right."

"Why?"

"...They want to kill him."

She scowled, "This is coming from the ex-hoodlum from the underground?"

I hissed, "Look, Ackerman. I learned a long time ago that the government takes what they want. Punks like us can't do shit about it. It doesn't mean I'm not going to fight tooth and nail against them. My life is on the line too, remember. But, I've resigned myself and Eren to death, and you should do the same."

I could hear her voice breaking as she begged, "Then run away with him. Take him away from here." Tears began to roll down her cheeks, a sight I thought I'd never see, "I can't watch another family member die, Corporal. Eren is everything to me. I've done so much… I've tried to keep him safe ever since the day I met him. I can't lose now. Please, please, please… Do whatever it takes to keep him alive."

I took a deep breath to steel my own voice before I answered, "He won't do it."

"...I know."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

And here we are on trial!

I had originally planned on having one very, very long chapter with all the court proceedings, but considering it's already this long with only one testimony (we still have several to go, plus the refutations and verdict) I figured that it would be good to stop here and finish it in the next chapter.

I'm tentatively going for 3 more chapters: the ending of the trial, post-trial, and the ultimate end, but we'll see how many little extra scenes I end up needing.

As always, thank you for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting! I really appreciate it and I love to hear back from you guys.

-Fox

* * *

The trial came too quickly for us all. Before we knew it, we only had a day before the proceedings began. Eren hadn't left my side since he returned from his run two days prior. We stayed mostly alone together, occasionally sleeping together, but mostly talking and laughing. I even took him into town for our first 'official' date, and even though Eren insisted that we'd had many proper dates before, he seemed extraordinarily happy throughout the little trip.

However, that happiness came to a quick close the day before the dreaded trial with three forceful, banging knocks on the castle's main doors. Eren and I had been lounging about in my study, lazily playing a game of cards when we heard it. The noise caused Eren to jump violently, the cards in his hand flying everywhere in his surprise. When he calmed down from the initial shock, he laughed, "Damn, guess you know I was bluffing now."

I laughed and kissed his cheek, "I always knew you were. I'll go get that, I'll be right back." He scowled, though I could tell he was just amused, and nodded, reshuffling the cards as I left.

I'd only been a minute or two getting down the stairs when I heard more staccato bangs against the door, and the all-too unmistakable sound of wood cracking. Confused and annoyed, I had almost reached the door when it flew off its hinges and into the room, just missing me.

I shouted at the large, brown haired man and the smaller blond man behind him who had clearly just kicked in our door, "Oi, shitfaces! What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Military Police, Sergeant Roger Eves. This is my partner, Captain Mikael Kravotz. We're here to take Eren Jaeger into custody for his trial tomorrow," The brown-haired brute replied, completely ignoring my question.

I seethed, "That doesn't fucking require you kicking my goddamned door in."

"I had not received a response for several minutes after I knocked, I assumed you were resisting."

"Oh, wow, because I was just standing right here to open the door for whatever scumbag decided to drop by today." I growled, "If you hadn't noticed, this place is kind of big."

The blond, Kravotz, spoke up this time, "Lance Corporal Levi, we apologize for our haste, but we heard of your… particular objections… to this case, as well as those of the rest of your squadron, and we did not think it out of the question that you all would resist his arrest."

I glared at him, "Then you think rather poorly of us, don't you?"

"Perhaps," Kravotz answered coolly, "but please do not take it personally, Corporal. We would think poorly of anyone who was fucking a monster half his age." His eyes flashed antagonistically and I swear I almost murdered the fucker on the spot. The only thing that saved him, was, quite ironically, Mikasa, who had heard the commotion and arrived in the corridor.

She had her blade at his throat and murder in her steel grey eyes seconds after the words left his lips, "Say that again."

The brown-haired one, Eves, drew his own blades to threaten Mikasa, but Jean was on him almost as quickly as Mikasa had been, "Think again, asshole."

I barked, "Lower your weapons, you little shits."

Jean scowled, "You heard what that one said about you and Eren! And this asshole was about to hurt Mikasa! A few scars might teach them a lesson!"

"If you hurt them, Eren dies." I hissed. Mikasa and Jean both froze, losing the hard lines of their stances. "Lower your weapons," I repeated, kinder this time, and they obeyed, sheathing their swords and moving to flank me.

"Your dogs are well trained, Corporal." Kravotz smiled, casually scratching his neck as if he hadn't been centimeters from death. "Which ones are these?"

"Mikasa Ackerman and Jean Kirschstein." I answered coolly. Both of their eyes widened in fear at the names. "So you both should appreciate how close you were to death."

"Indeed…" Kravotz frowned.

Eves told the smaller blond, "Look, Mikael, I know you wanted to fuck with him, but not only does he have a _titan_ for a lover, but his entire squad is clearly nuts. Let's leave him alone and get the kid."

Mikasa shot me a questioning glance, her eyes demanding to know what was going on. I shook my head and held up two fingers, the squad symbol to wait, and she obeyed, though I could feel her anxiety. Kravotz growled in frustration but agreed, "Fine, fine, fine. Hand over Eren Jaeger and we'll leave you lot in peace. We'll even pay to fix your damned door."

I hesitated, "There's no reason you need Jaeger right now. The trial doesn't start until tomorrow. Even if you want to keep him at court during the trial, there's no reason to take him _now_."

Eves sighed, "Look, orders from above. We ain't in charge of anything, Corporal. We were just told to collect the kid and take him to the court dungeons to await the proceedings." He handed me a document, which ended up being from Pixis, detailing exactly what Eves had told me.

I didn't have any way out of this. No excuses or political levers I could pull. Damn Pixis to hell. "Eren! Come down, please!" I called into the castle. Immediately, Eren's head peeked out around the corner beside me, his amber eyes shining guiltily as he approached me. I demanded, "What the fuck, Jaeger? When did you get there?"

He chuckled, averting his eyes in the way he usually did when embarrassed, "Ah, well… When I heard the door get knocked in, I got really worried about you, Corporal. So I… uh… well I came down to check on you, and I just never left?"

I tried to look cross with him, but I couldn't help but laugh a little. Eren was too cute. "Idiot. I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know," He smiled sheepishly, knowing full well I wasn't annoyed with him, "but I swore I'd protect you forever, Corporal, so I have to at least try." He turned his attention to Kravotz and Eves and said, "I'll be ready to go with you in just a second. Can I say goodbye to my friends?"

Eves nodded, "But please, only the people right here, we can't risk you going into the castle and running off."

Eren nodded and turned to Jean. The taller blond took a deep breath and sighed, "Come back home, alright, Jaeger? I don't wanna put up with Corporal Levi and Mikasa crying about you not being here."

Eren laughed miserably and pulled the other boy into a tight hug, "I'll try." Jean sniffed a bit and hugged Eren back, clapping him on the back for reassurance.

Next was Mikasa. She was on the verge of tears again, which quickly had Eren there as well. The adopted siblings were hugging each other tightly, Mikasa threatening to rip me limb from limb if Eren didn't come home between sobs. Eren was stroking her hair, laughing and crying and assuring her that he would do everything he could to come back. When the two calmed down a bit, Mikasa took a deep breath, removed the tattered red scarf around her neck, and looped it around Eren's neck saying, "You gave me this a long time ago for my protection. It has served me better than anything else ever could. And now, I want you to have it back. You need it more than I do right now." Which sent both of them overboard, endless tears streaming down both their faces as they gasped desperate goodbyes.

Once they had both calmed down again, it was my turn. Eren took my hand, still sniffing tears away and whispered, "If I don't come back…"

"You will." Eren looked at me, tears welling in his eyes as I continued, "Don't fucking say or even _think_ that you might not come back. I'm bringing you back home no matter what."

"...And we'll go see the ocean together?" He asked, his hands moving to cradle my cheeks, lifting my face to his.

"We'll go see _everything_ together. We'll never be parted, Jaeger."

Eren kissed me deeply and whispered, "I can't imagine a lifetime not spent loving you, Levi."

"You'll never have to. I'll be beside you for all eternity." I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but thankfully, that was all the conversation we needed. Eren embraced me tightly before kissing me one last time, and leaving with the Military Police.

No one spoke the rest of the evening. A mournful silence had befallen my squadron, for everyone knew that no one there could speak without fear of crying.

Erwin and I were the last two to arrive at the courtroom, only minutes before the trial began. We'd been there all morning though, rallying those speaking for us and giving pointers on how to help. There had been many, many soldiers who tried to encourage me, saying things like ' _I won't let you down, Corporal_ ' and ' _We'll get through this, don't you worry, sir!_ '. I'd quickly gotten sick of it, but had to begrudgingly accept their support. I knew they meant well, but their words were only making me feel sicker.

Before we stepped inside, Erwin caught my shoulder and said, "Levi, I need to talk to you."

I turned to face him, "What? Time for my pep-talk now, Commander?" I was being sarcastic, but he laughed.

"Precisely." He explained, "Look, I know you know what to do. I know you're a rational man. But I also know that the love of your life is one word away from death by your hands, and I know that's a terrifying thing, even for you." I averted my eyes from his as he continued, "I want you to trust me. I want you to listen to me as much as you can and let me calm you down if you get upset. I can think clearer in this situation. Please, Levi. Let me lead you this one last time."

I wanted to say no. To tell him to fuck off. That Eren was _my_ lover. _My_ life was on the line. _I_ knew what was best for us. But I couldn't. Erwin was right. The fact that I was even thinking like that proved it. With a long sigh, I whispered, "Just this last time." Erwin smiled, relieved, and I glared at him, "Don't let us fail. I'll never forgive you."

He chuckled sadly and pulled me into his arms, "Dear God, I'll try not to." Reluctantly, I hugged him back, before the two of us marched into court.

The proceedings were incredibly tedious for the first hour, as it was filled with nothing but the usual processes of introducing the defendant and establishing the charges filed against them, as well as preparing the council for what they were to determine. _Is Eren Jaeger dangerous or not?_

The prosecution had the first run of witnesses, which was rather convenient, since they had far fewer people to testify than we did. All of whom were merely frantic townspeople who had witnessed Eren's transformation or had suffered some collateral damage from his titan form. I couldn't help but scoff at their feeble accusations, but Erwin admonished me, "These things may not matter to you, but these people are from the Capitol. They know nothing of the horror of titans, or the necessary evils that we had to commit to vanquish them. Property and comfort is all they care about."

Our defense was much stronger. Fifty-one survey corps soldiers came forward to speak for Eren, every one of them saying how we couldn't have killed the titans without Eren. All of them expressed their gratitude to the boy, and I noticed he maintained a bright blush across his face through it all, stammering his thanks after each testimony, to which all the soldiers saluted him with a wide smile. After the last of the regular soldiers, I was fully expecting to hear Hanji's or Erwin's name called to the stand, but the defense called a "Sergeant Roger Eves of the Military Police".

As the burly brunet approached the stand, I growled at Erwin, "What are you thinking? He took Eren away yesterday. Jean and Mikasa fucking _threatened_ him! He'll kill this defense with a single word."

Erwin smiled at me, "You said you'd trust me."

"I thought I knew everything."

"Well, you don't, so let the man speak. You may just be surprised."

The defense began questioning Eves as soon as he was settled, "Thank you for coming, Sergeant Eves. I understand you were a last-minute addition to this defense? You just came on board last night, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Eves confirmed.

"Might I ask your reasons? You are the only Military Police officer on this defense. Actually, you are the only member of the defense that is not part of the Survey Corps. So, to testify for this man does nothing to further your career or social status."

"No, sir." Eves took a deep breath, "I joined because it was the right thing to do."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Of course. I met Eren Jaeger, Lance Corporal Levi, Mikasa Ackerman, and Jean Kirschstein for the first time in my life yesterday, when I was assigned to retrieve Mr. Jaeger and bring him to the courthouse. I went in fully expecting to meet a bunch of inexperienced, clumsy teenagers and their irreverent commander." He laughed, "But God knows that's not what I found. Miss Ackerman and Mr. Kirschstein are two of the bravest, strongest, most terrifying soldiers I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. They alone would put anyone in the Military Police to shame, to say nothing of Lance Corporal Levi, who commands them with such grace and power to rival that of our highest commanders. I've never seen anything like it. Though I only had the pleasure of seeing Miss Ackerman and Mr. Kirschstein in action, I now completely believe that everyone in Levi's squadron is worth a hundred soldiers, which of course, applies to Mr. Eren Jaeger."

"Even if it were not, Mr. Jaeger is a man with incredible honor I feel we all should recognize. My partner and I had gone in expecting degenerate hacks, riding the coattails of the dead to raise their own status, and so we went in with that mentality. We said terrible things about Mr. Jaeger and Corporal Levi, and I would like to offer my sincerest apologies to them both. Despite hearing this, and watching me lose my temper, Mr. Jaeger very calmly and respectfully agreed to go with us, only requesting that he could say goodbye to his friends. Those goodbyes, Mr. Jaeger, were what made me sure that I had to defend you."

"You see that squadron?" He pointed to wear I was seated with Erwin, Hanji, and my squad, "They would be lost without Eren. I've seen it. This man-he is no more a monster than you or I-this extraordinary man won me over in ten minutes, because I saw his humanity, and it is purer than most of us. Purer than I."

"I joined the Military Police because I was afraid. I was afraid to go out into the world and fight the titans. I was afraid to sit where those men and women sit today, wondering if the man they love so dearly will be returned to them. I was afraid of sitting where Mr. Jaeger sits right now, persecuted by the people I almost died protecting. I was afraid," He looked straight at me, "to look my lover in the eyes as I killed them myself." He turned to address the council again, "I was afraid to do all I could to save humanity, as I know everyone in the Military Police was. And so, I believe it is only right, now, to not be afraid, and to protect those who have always, always had to be brave, because we couldn't be."

He dismounted the stand and walked over to address my squadron directly, saluting as he spoke, "Know that I respect all of you greatly, and I wish the best outcome of this case." We stood and saluted in response before he walked over to Eren and offered his hand, "And I hope you, Mr. Jaeger, will accept my humble apology, and forgive me for my cowardice. I am ashamed to call myself a soldier when a boy, a man, like you exists."

Eren lept up and took his hand with a smile, "Of course, Sergeant Eves. Thank you. Thank you so much."

As the Sergeant left to resume his seat, Erwin turned to me and chuckled, "You trust me yet?"

I growled, "Fuck you." and Erwin laughed softly before I whispered, "Thank you."

"I'm trying, Levi. I really am."

"I know. I just hope it's enough."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Trial is over, my darlings! And cliffhanger, whoops.

Who knows when I'll get the next part out, but we're still on schedule so two (?) more chapters to go and we'll be kind of coasting from here on out.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, etc.

-Fox

* * *

Next to the stand was Erwin himself. Once sworn in, the defense wasted no time in asking, "Commander Erwin, Mr. Jaeger was a close subordinate of yours, correct?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yes. As he was a key player in the fight against the titans and one of Lance Corporal Levi's most trusted soldiers, I worked rather closely with Mr. Jaeger."

"And what do you think of him, sir?"

Erwin answered immediately, "He is a brave man, a good soldier, and a trusted friend. I personally vouch for his character. He is completely and utterly on our side."

The defense smirked and nodded, "Thank you, Commander."

However, the prosecutor stood up for the first time since the defense's witnesses had started speaking and asked the council, "Might I ask the Commander a few questions?" When he was given permission, He affixed Erwin with a devilish grin and asked, "You say you trust Mr. Jaeger, correct, sir?"

Erwin nodded cautiously, eyeing the weasley man in front of him, "Yes. I would trust him with my life. I did trust him with my life and the lives of my friends many times."

"Including your dear friend Lance Corporal Levi."

"...Yes?" Erwin replied, realizing a trap was being laid and I was the bait.

"Who you are well aware is in a committed relationship with Mr. Jaeger."

The defense shouted, "Objection, Council. If the prosecution wishes to inquire about the relationship between Lance Corporal Levi and Private Eren Jaeger, he should be patient and ask Corporal Levi himself when he takes the stand."

"Objection accepted, unless the prosecution had another reason to bring it up." The leader of the council answered.

The prosecutor smiled wickedly and practically purred, "I actually did have a reason to bring it up. Specifically, the Commander's motivations for this trial."

"Then proceed." The council demanded.

Erwin frowned deeply, but responded candidly, "Yes, I was and am well aware that they are in a committed relationship." Whispers of scandal swept the room and I could feel the controversy looming over me like a titan, oppressive and potentially damning.

But the prosecutor wasn't done, "So, your dear friend Levi cherishes this boy, correct?"

"...I would assume so."

"And you cherish Levi?"

"Yes. He is a good, loyal friend."

The prosecutor was grinning ear to ear at this point, "So what's to stop you from getting up on that podium and lying to us all in order to protect what you care about?"

The court room went nuts, roars of panic and accusations of corruption swept the room. The defense was banging as hard as he could on the table to object, but to no avail, the crowd was simply too loud. Erwin was desperately trying to defend himself, but he was also too quiet for the court to hear. The leader of the council was also trying to call order to the court, with little more success than either Erwin or the defense, and I felt the crushing sense of dread wash over me as I watched the scene unfold, a sentiment mirrored in Eren's eyes as he looked over at me. I saw tears glistening at the corners of those beautiful golden eyes, something I'm sure I was the only one to notice, as he mouthed, ' _I love you'_. As the crowd returned to order, I mouthed back, ' _I love you too'_. Just before Eren turned back to the council, he smiled brokenly in reply.

Erwin, now that the crowd was silenced, answered icily, "What is _stopping me_ from lying to you is the fact that I risked my life every day since I was fifteen to save you people from the titans. Why would I ever risk having to live that nightmare again?"

But we all knew the prosecution had won. No reason was going to weigh out over the sheer terror he'd created. Which was why he smiled a cruel, "No further questions" and allowed Hanji to take the podium.

Hanji's testimony was considerably less of a circus, as the prosecution didn't have much to say to refute the actual scientific data she presented from her countless experiments on Eren, proving he was in no way a danger to us. Some of the stranger experiments such as ' _Can Eren turn into a titan while having sex?_ ' or ' _How long can Eren's Titan form do a handstand for?_ ' earned a few skeptical eyebrows from the council, but all in all, her testimony was accepted without question.

Armin's testimony also went rather well, as the prosecution seemed too intimidated by the boy's large vocabulary to articulate any worthwhile rebuttals.

It all fell apart with Mikasa, however. The young woman took the stand, her expression already screaming murder at the prosecutor, who averted his eyes from her almost immediately. The defense began the questioning with, "Miss Mikasa Ackerman, you're Eren Jaeger's adopted sister, correct?"

"Yes, sir." She responded coolly, "Grisha and Carla Jaeger adopted me after my own parents were murdered when I was six years old."

"And you and Mr. Jaeger have been practically inseparable since, correct?"

"Yes, sir. We spent the majority of our time before the fall of Wall Maria in each other's company, and when he decided to enter the military, I followed him, along with our friend Armin. Later, we were transferred into Corporal Levi's squadron together."

"So you know him fairly well?"

"Yes, sir. And I know he's not dangerous. I wouldn't have followed him all these years if he were."

"No further questions." The defense smiled confidently, but I saw the prosecutor's wicked smile as he took the defense's place.

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Ackerman. They say you rival your Corporal in raw talent." He purred as he took the floor. Mikasa was having none of it, though, and merely grunted irritably in response. He laughed and continued, "It's rather fortunate for humanity that those criminals were thwarted before they could capture or kill you, hmm? Do you mind telling us a bit about that night? Surely you still remember?"

The defense shouted, "Objection, council! Irrelevant and highly personal questioning."

The prosecutor corrected, "Highly relevant, as I'll get to in a moment, but unfortunately personal."

"Objection overruled, please answer, Miss Ackerman." The council leader ordered.

She scowled but answered honestly, "My father was killed by sex traffickers, and my mother was killed when she resisted them and tried to defend me. They captured me and took me to a warehouse until they could ship me off, but Grisha and Eren were on their way to visit us, and Eren came to my rescue."

"And how exactly did he rescue you, Miss Ackerman? You were both only six at the time, correct? It's quite the feat for two six-year-olds to escape grown adults."

She looked away and grit her teeth. This was her trap. Her piece of incriminating evidence she knew would damn Eren. "We snuck out." She muttered, avoiding all eye contact.

"The truth, Miss Ackerman. Might I remind you that you are sworn into a court of law?" He smiled cruelly.

"Fuck your court of law, I'm not answering." She growled, "You already know the answer, so don't make me put the nail in my brother's coffin."

He laughed, "Indeed I do know the answer, Miss Ackerman, and I suppose I'll enlighten the rest of the court if you are unwilling to do so." He turned to the crowd of people and cried, "Mr. Jaeger, at the age of six, killed three men to save Miss Ackerman. Miss Ackerman, in turn, killed one to save him." Gasps of horror echoed around the room as he turned back to Mikasa, "Isn't that true, my dear?" She turned away sharply, refusing to answer. The prosecutor laughed and continued, "Even if Mr. Jaeger's titan form is harmless, his human form certainly is not." He purred sarcastically to Mikasa, "Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Ackerman. No further questions." Mikasa left the stand silently, never once looking up from the floor, but I had no doubts that she was crying.

My name was the last called to the stand, and as soon as it was called, the hall erupted into whispers, " _Corporal Levi, humanity's strongest!"_ " _He's Eren's commander, right? He was leading the final charge against the titans! He's the reason we're free!" "But he's also a total creep. I hear he and Eren are lovers." "With Eren?! But how old is he?" "There's a fifteen-year age gap." "How disgusting. And with another man, too. Has he no shame?" "I hear he's from the underground." "No wonder he's a pervert!" "Can we trust someone like this?"_ I tried to ignore them all, but I was afraid, and I couldn't help but wonder if they were right. Was my love for Eren disgusting? Was it really wrong to love him? I glanced over at Eren, seeking answers to questions I knew he didn't know, but he answered them all the same with a glowing smile that caused his eyes to crinkle softly at the edges as they did only when he was genuinely happy. He stood and saluted me, whispering, "I missed you, Corporal."

I couldn't help but smile and answer, "I missed you, too, brat." There was no way this happiness was wrong. Eren was mine and I was his. Completely and utterly, no matter what the crowds said about it.

I took the stand and was sworn in quickly, the defense standing up to address me, "Lance Corporal Levi, it is an honor to officially meet you."

"Thank you." I answered coolly, "It'll be a pleasure meeting you if you win us this fucking case."

"...Ah, yes… My apologies, Corporal." He coughed nervously, "Ah, you've been Mr. Jaeger's commanding officer since he was accepted into the Survey Corps, correct?"

"Yes. He was assigned to be under my direct supervision after his first court case."

"And why was that?"

"It is my sworn duty to execute Eren should he ever go rogue. That was the decision made at the time, and it has not changed."

"So, if Mr. Jaeger were ever to be a danger to us, you would kill him."

"Without hesitation." I affirmed, glancing at Eren, who nodded in agreement. We both knew my duty, and Eren had frequently made me promise through our relationship that he would die by my hand and my hand alone whenever the time came.

He smiled, relaxing a bit, and continued, "But you haven't seen any indication of his condition making him go rogue?"

"Not at all. If anything, time, practice, and Hanji's experiments have completely stabilized his shifting ability. Eren has complete control over the shifts and always clearly understands what he's being told when in his titan form. Honestly, when he first came to me, he was very unstable, always shifting at fucking annoying-ass times and losing control when he got tired, but I never have to worry about things like that now. Eren is in control, and he is a good man. He won't hurt humanity."

The defense attorney hesitated before asking me his next question, averting his eyes and blushing fiercely, "You trust his control enough to sleep beside him every night, correct?"

I chuckled and smirked, "Yes." The whispers erupted again, but I glanced at Eren, who was also smirking, eyes twinkling with mischief and amusement. Fuck he was hot with that kind of expression.

"N-no further questions." The man stammered, clearly still terribly embarrassed.

The smarmy prosecutor stood up immediately, straightening his tie and smirking at me, confidence oozing from his expression, "Lance Corporal Levi. I'd been dying for you to take the stand all trial, but my dear friend on defense took a bit of my fun out of it."

"What a pity." I drawled in response.

He laughed, "Quite. So, you admit that you are in a romantic and sexual relationship with Mr. Eren Jaeger?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been in said relationship?"

"Two and a half years."

He arched a single eyebrow and purred, "He's only been in the Survey Corps for three years. You certainly didn't wait long to lay claim to a fifteen-year-old." More whispers arose, but I ignored them.

"Death is a reality in the Survey Corps. To wait until it is 'proper' to love someone is inviting fate to rip them away before you can tell them your feelings. And Eren confessed to me." I answered.

The prosecutor glared at me. Clearly, that was not the answer he was looking for. He turned to address Eren for the first time the whole trial, "Is this true, Mr. Jaeger?"

Eren chuckled, "Yes, sir. I confessed to Levi right after we returned from our first encounter with the Female Titan, Annie Leonhardt. It was a bit by accident, and Levi refused at first out of principle, and insisted I was just a dumb kid, but I was really stubborn and convinced him to go out with me."

The prosecutor frowned again and returned to questioning me, "So, you are…"

"Dating. I am dating Eren Jaeger. He is my boyfriend, lover, whatever you want to fucking call it. We're together." I growled impatiently.

He frowned deeper in response, "Thank you… So you and Mr. Jaeger are dating. Yet still you profess that you'll kill him if he goes rogue? You love him, correct? So why would you kill him?"

I arched my eyebrow and declared, "If we lose this trial, I'll be the one executing him, or did you not read that little bit of information in the case file?" As the prosecutor scrambled around in his notes, panicked, I continued, "Yes. I do love Eren. More than anything. And I will kill him for that exact reason. Only I can be allowed to be the last thing Eren sees, feels, hears, touches. I won't allow another creature to be with him in his last moments." I took a deep breath and confessed, "I never told Eren this, but I didn't love him when we first started dating. I didn't even particularly like him. I was just entertaining a stubborn kid's wishes, because I knew he probably wouldn't live to outgrow them. However, a few months into the relationship, I felt myself falling in love for real, and as I fell more and more in love with him, I became more and more afraid of losing him. So, I swore that I'd die with Eren, whenever that time came. If titans had still been alive when he died, I would have existed for nothing more than to exterminate them all, and killed myself after. Now, my promise to myself remains. If Eren dies, I die. That is how I reconcile killing my lover."

The prosecutor ran his fingers through his hair nervously, scrambling for a new attack, "You would kill yourself if he dies?"

"Without hesitation."

"Shit." I heard him hiss under his breath and I smirked at him. I was confident I'd at least won us back a little bit of favor with the courts, and my determination to still kill him if anything went wrong was sure to be a strong point in our defense. But the prosecutor got an idea, and his eyes lit up as he whispered, "But what if Eren leaves you?"

"What?" I demanded, confused.

"What if Eren leaves you? You love him enough to kill yourself for him; so much that you won't let another soul kill him. But Eren is a young man. You said it yourself, it could very well be a childish whim that he has yet to outgrow." I fell silent. I hadn't considered the idea of Eren leaving me. I hadn't considered much past the extermination of the titans, but I supposed now I should. He was right. Eren was a young man. He loved me now, but that could change. I opened my mouth to speak, but Eren was already shouting, despite the defense's desperate attempts to get him to sit down.

"Stop treating me like a child! I've loved Corporal for half my life now. Even if I wanted to stop loving him, I couldn't. It's not a childish whim, these are my true feelings." He looked at me and declared, "I told you before, Corporal, I can't imagine a lifetime spent not loving you. My soul, my heart, my body belongs to you and you alone."

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, I dismounted the stand and approached Eren, who was now blushing violently, trying to cover his burning cheeks, "Oi, brat, you can't say shit like that and then get embarrassed."

He looked back at me and muttered, "Sorry, Levi. Kinda forgot we were in front of so many people."

I laughed fondly and removed his hand from his mouth, "It's fine, Eren." I leaned in gently and caught Eren's lips in a chaste, romantic kiss that had Eren turning bright scarlet when I pulled away. I turned to the prosecutor and smiled, "Well, looks like Eren answered for me. Are we done here?"

The prosecutor scowled deeply and growled, "What's the use of keeping you alive?"

"Hmm?" I demanded, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Your trump card is that you die if he dies, correct?" He mused, running his fingers through his hair, "Your only value comes from your innate ability to slay titans. If Eren dies, there is no more use for you, Corporal Levi. Your life can no longer be valued more than those of the people Mr. Jaeger might kill before you can stop him."

The courtroom fell dead silent. The prosecutor was right. I had nothing to bargain with. Despair consumed my heart as I looked back at Eren, who was just as dumbfounded as I was, panic in his lovely eyes. With a final sigh, the prosecutor nodded, "No further questions."

As the court took a recess for the council to make a decision, Mikasa, Armin, Hanji, Erwin, the rest of my squad, and I, gathered in a small office. I hadn't stopped pacing since we arrived. I knew the second I stopped, all the rage and fear I was bottling up would overflow into the nearest object or person. Mikasa hadn't said a single word, and was standing stiff as a board next to the door, staring holes through the desk Erwin was sitting at. Armin and Hanji had sunk into a couch, quietly bemoaning how bad everything was looking. The rest of the squad was similarly upset, trying to take their minds off it in any way they could until Erwin spoke, "It is unlikely that Eren will be set free. We lost our trump card."

"No shit," I snapped, "Next you're gonna fucking tell me the sky is blue or titans are big."

He scowled, "Shut up, Levi. You know I did everything I could."

The last shred of sanity I had snapped as soon as those words left his lips. "Well you know what? Your 'everything' wasn't fucking good enough, Erwin!" I shouted, whirling around to face him, "I carried your sorry ass through the titans and what the fuck did I get in return? The only three people I ever gave two shits about in this world dead because you couldn't get your fucking shit together and protect them for me." Pain flashed in his blue eyes but I didn't care, "I gave _everything_ to the Survey Corps. _EVERYTHING_. Except my life and that of the man I love" My voice broke, an almost-sob in my breath, "And now it looks like I'm going to have to give it that, too." I bit my lip to keep from crying as I spat, "Thanks for nothing, 'friend'" With that, I stormed out of the office, ignoring Hanji and Armin as they called for me to come back.

I went to the only place I could think to go, down to the court dungeons. I had to at least try to see Eren before the verdict. The guards, to my surprise, offered no resistance when I demanded to see Eren, and let me in without question. I sprinted down the stairs and only stopped when I caught sight of that beautiful brown hair and tanned skin and heard the gentle voice, " _Levi!_ "

I smiled and pressed myself to the bars of the cage, "I'm here, baby. I'm here."

Eren ran over and pressed himself against the bars as well, hugging me tightly between the metal, "I'm so glad. I wanted to see you, Levi."

I kissed him gently, "I wanted to see you, too. I had to."

Eren smiled, tears glistening in his eyes, "I'm not gonna make it. They aren't going to let me off the hook."

"I know." I whispered, "But it doesn't have to be that way. You and I can run away. Mikasa and Erwin already cleared it for us. We'd live as fugitives for the rest of our lives but…"

Eren laughed through a sob, "I can't do that. I can't live without my friends. I don't want to be in a world that hates me for still being alive."

I shook my head and sighed, "I knew you'd say that."

He laced his fingers with mine, "You don't have to kill yourself."

"Of course I do. I won't live without you."

"...Maybe that means we'll be reincarnated at the same time and our ages will be closer. I'd love to date a young Corporal."

"Are you calling me old, brat?"

"Not at all! I just think you'd be really cute as a teenager."

"...It would be nice to grow old with you, not before you."

Eren smiled and kissed me deeply, "I love you, Levi, forever."

"I love you, too, Eren, forever."

Once we returned to court, the council announced the verdict, not wanting to beat around the bush after such a long trial, "We have decided that Eren Jaeger, last of the titans, will be put to death at Corporal Levi's hands in one week." I had been sitting next to Eren, and though neither of us were surprised, we pressed our foreheads against each other's and stayed like that, just listening to the other's breath to keep from making a scene. When we opened our eyes, the Council leader looked at us and said sadly, "Please enjoy your final week on this earth."

Eren and I were the first to leave court, as I was officially tasked with leading him back home. We were doing just that, in a cloud of heavy, suffocating silence, when I heard a soft voice behind me.

"...Corporal, please marry me."

I whirled around to face the boy, furious. What was he thinking? Now, of all times to repeat his little mantra? Grief and fear turned to rage in an instant as I snapped at Eren, "What the fuck, you piece of shit? I'm about to fucking _lose you_ and you think it's a good idea to fucking joke with me? Do you have any fucking idea how much you mean to me?" Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, a feeling I hadn't had in years, a feeling I had thought years of endless grief and fear had taken from me permanently. And yet, there I was, about to cry for the loss of the one person who really mattered, and he thought it was a good idea to say such a dumb thing?

Eren's fingers brushed against my cheeks, cradling my face in his warm hands, "It's not a joke, Corporal. I'm serious. I've always been serious." I glared at him in shock. _What_? Eren had really been proposing? All this time? Why the fuck didn't he clarify sooner, then? As if hearing my thoughts, the golden-eyed boy chuckled brokenly, his throat clearly constricting with the tears in his eyes, "I always thought we had plenty of time, that I could propose properly whenever was comfortable, because I'd always be with you. I always thought…" He let out a choked sob and dropped his head, resting it against my chest, where I quickly felt a warm dampness seep into the cloth, "I always thought that if we just made it through the titans, that everything would be alright."

I wrapped my arms tightly around Eren, burying my face in his hair, "You idiot." He laughed miserably in response, hugging me back fiercely. We remained like that, just holding each other in silence only filled by my lover's soft sniffles, until Eren stopped crying and lifted his eyes back to meet mine.

"I know I don't have a ring, and this isn't an interesting way to do it at all, but Corporal… My beautiful, perfect Levi… Would you do me the honor of marrying me?" He smiled shakily at me, hope glistening in those gorgeous eyes, and I knew there was no other way for me to answer but:

"No."


End file.
